Research Officer - Health Statistics / Epidemiology / Geospatial Modeller at KEMRI Wellcome Trust Research Programme (KWTRP)

JOB PURPOSE: 

• Welcome to the exciting opportunity to contribute to groundbreaking research at the KEMRI-Wellcome Trust Research Programme (KWTRP), a leading research centre in Africa dedicated to investigating the primary causes of ill health and the development of health care systems on the continent. At KWTRP, we are not only committed to advancing scientific knowledge but also to fostering local research leadership.
• Part of the research portfolio of the Population and Health Impact Surveillance Research Unit (PHISG) and the Health Services Unit at KWTRP Nairobi is to undertake research into the relationships between health outcomes and access to health services, the ecological defined phenotypes of severe disease and determinants of hospitalisation and death in childhood.
• The new Research Officer position will join the Population and Health Impact Surveillance Research Unit in Nairobi and will be supervised by Prof. Emelda Okiro and co-supervised by Prof Bob Snow. The Research Officer will be expected to provide statistical support to the PHISG. It is also expected that the appointed RO will build an independent line of enquiry related to hospital access and in-patient outcomes, helping the wide group understand optimised catchment areas for emergency care and marginalised, poor hospital access populations.

We, therefore, welcome applications from those wishing to develop their skills and a career in medical statistics, geospatial analysis and the use of hospital data in epidemiology.

Description: 

REPORTS TO: Study PI and Study Supervisor

DIRECT REPORTS: None

INDIRECT REPORTS: None

BUDGET AND RESOURCE RESPONSIBILITY:  Responsible for allocated hardware and software.

KEY RESPONSIBILITIES:

For the Population and Health Impact Surveillance Research Unit and under the direction of the supervisors to:

• Provide statistical and R coding support to PHISG
• Build and check fidelities of locational data of hospital admissions in Western Kenya and Kilifi
• Undertake geospatial analysis of data to understand the geographic distribution of different hospital admissions, linked to ecological and malaria risk factors
• Publish independent research findings in peer reviewed journals and support other publications in the PHISG
• Contribute to the wider scientific activities of the Population and Health Impact Surveillance Research Unit, the Health Services Unit and the Nairobi Programme of KEMRI-Wellcome in Kenya
• And any other duties that may be assigned from time to time.

QUALIFICATIONS:

The successful applicant will have:

CRITERIA:

The successful applicant will have:

• Recognised Postgraduate qualification (Masters) relevant to the field of statistics or epidemiology
• At lease 3 years related working experience.
• A track record in understanding statistical methods related to health care access.
• A track record in handling large health data and statistical packages including R
• Published in peer reviewed journals at least one first author paper, and co-authored at least three publications
• Highly developed oral and written communication skills
• Experience in undertaking research in a cross-cultural context
• Demonstrated interest in public health and demonstrated knowledge and working experience of Kenyan Health system, added advantage.

COMPETENCIES:

• Prior experience of geospatial analyses with recognised software (e.g. ArcGIS) is highly desirable.
• Experience in use of STATA and / or ‘R’ for analysis of health data and/or experience of computer programming languages.
• Have high energy, clear goal orientation and a strong work ethic.
• Strong organisation/programme management skills with the ability to prioritise workloads and work within tight deadlines
• Ability to write clearly for a scientific audience and to present clearly to non-academic audiences
• Ability to work independently and collaboratively in a team environment and to multi-task